There was once a king named Bihkard, and he had mickle of wealth
and many troops; but his deeds were evil and he would punish for
a slight offence, and he never forgave any offender. He went
forth one day to hunt and a certain of his pages shot a shaft,
which lit on the king's ear and cut it off. Bihkard cried, "Who
shot that arrow?" So the guards brought him in haste the
misdemeanant, whose name was Yatrú,[FN#207] and he of his fear
fell down on the ground in a fainting fit. Then quoth the king,
"Slay him;" but Yatru said, "O king, this which hath befallen was
not of my choice nor of my knowledge; so do thou pardon me, in
the hour of thy power over me, for that mercy is of the goodliest
of deeds and belike it shall be in this world a provision and a
good work for which thou shalt be repaid one of these days, and a
treasure laid up to thine account with Allah in the world to
come. Pardon me, therefore, and fend off evil from me, so shall
Allah fend off from thee the like evil." When the king beard
this, it pleased him and he pardoned the page, albeit he had
never before pardoned any. Now this page was of the sons of the
kings and had fled from his sire on account of a sin he had
committed: then he went and took service with Bihkard the king,
and there happened to him what happened. After a while, it
chanced that a man recognised him and went and told his father,
who sent him a letter, comforting his heart and mind and calling
upon him to return to him. Accordingly he returned to his father,
who came forth to meet him and rejoiced in him, and the Prince's
affairs were set right with his sire. Now it befel, one day of
the days, that king Bihkard shipped him in a ship and put out to
sea, so he might fish: but the wind blew on them and the craft
sank. The king made the land upon a plank, unknown of any, and
came forth, mother-naked, on one of the coasts; and it chanced
that he landed in the country whereof the father of the page
aforesaid was king. So he came in the night to the gate of the
sovran's capital, and finding it shut, lodged him in a
burying-place there. When the morning morrowed and the folk came
forth of the city, behold, they found a man lately murthered and
cast down in a corner of the burial ground, and seeing Bihkard
there, doubted not but it was he who had slain him during the
night; so they laid hands on him and carried him up to the king
and said to him, "This fellow hath slain a man." The king bade
imprison him; whereupon they threw him in jail, and he fell to
saying in himself, what while he was in the prison, "All that
hath befallen me is of the abundance of my sins and my tyranny,
for, indeed, I have slain much people unrighteously and this is
the requital of my deeds and that which I have wrought whilome of
oppression." As he was thus pondering in himself, there came a
bird and lighted down on the pinnacle of the prison, whereupon,
of his passing eagerness in the chase, he took a stone and threw
it at the bird. Now the king's son was playing in the
exercise-ground with the ball and the bat,[FN#208] and the stone
lit on his ear and cut it off, whereupon the Prince fell down in
a fit. So they enquired who had thrown the stone and finding that
it was Bihkard, took him and carried him before the king's son,
who bade do him die. Accordingly, they cast the turband from his
head and were about to fillet his eyes, when the Prince looked at
him and seeing him cropped of an ear, said to him, "But for thy
villainies thine ear had not been cut off." Said Bihkard, "Not
so, by Allah! Nay, but the story of the loss of my ear is so and
so, and I pardoned him who smote me with an arrow and cut off my
ear." When the prince heard this, he looked in his face and
knowing him, cried out and said, "Art thou not Bihkard the king?"
"Yes," replied he, and the Prince said to him, "What ill chance
threw thee here?" Thereupon he told him all that had betided him
and the folk wondered and extolled the perfection of the
Almighty, crying "Subhána 'llah!—laud to the Lord!" Then the
Prince rose to him and embraced him and kissed him and,
entreating him with respect, seated him in a chair and bestowed
on him a robe of honour; and he turned to his sire and said to
him, "This be the king who pardoned me and this be his ear which
I cut off with a shaft; and indeed he deserveth my pardon by
having pardoned me." Then said he to Bihkard, "Verily, the issue
of mercy hath been a provision for thee in such hour as this."
And they entreated him with the utmost kindness and sent him back
to his own country in all honour. "Know, then, O king" (continued
the youth), "that there is no goodlier quality than mercy and
that all thou dost of clemency, thou shalt find before thee a
treasure for thee treasured up." When the king heard this, his
wrath subsided and he said, "Return him to the prison till the
morrow, so we may look into his case.
The Eighth Day.
Of Envy and Malice.
When it was the eighth day, the Wazirs all assembled and had
speech together and said, "How shall we do with this youth, who
overcometh us with his much talk? Indeed, we fear lest he be
saved and we fall into destruction. So, let us all go in to the
king and unite our efforts to gain our cause, ere he appear
without guilt and come forth and get the better of us."
Accordingly they all went in to the king and prostrating
themselves before him, said to him, "O king, beware lest this
youth ensorcell thee with his sorcery and beguile thee with his
wiles. An thou heardest what we hear, thou wouldst not suffer him
live; no, not a single day. Wherefore heed not his speech, for we
are thy Ministers, who endeavour for thy permanence, and if thou
hearken not to our word, to whose word wilt thou hearken? See, we
are ten Wazirs who testify against this youth that he is guilty
and entered not the king's sleeping chamber save with ill intent,
so he might put the king to shame and outrage his honour; and if
the king slay him not, let him banish him his realm, that the
tongue of the folk may desist from him." When the king heard his
Ministers' words, he was wroth with exceeding wrath and bade
bring the youth, and when he came in to the king, the Wazirs all
cried out with one voice, saying, "O Lack-wits, thinkest thou to
save thyself from slaughter by guile and sleight, that thou
wilest the king with thy talk and hopest pardon for the like of
this mighty great crime thou hast committed?" Then the king bade
fetch the sworder, so he might smite his neck; whereupon each of
the Wazirs fell to saying, "I will slay him;" and they sprang
upon him. Quoth the youth, "O king, consider and ponder the
eagerness of these thy Ministers. Is this of envy or is it not?
They would fain make severance between me and thee, so there may
fall to them what they shall plunder, as aforetime." And the king
said to him, "Consider their witness against thee." The young man
said, "O king, how shall they testify of that which they saw
not?[FN#209] This is but envy and despight; and thou, an thou
slay me, wilt indeed regret me, and I fear lest there betide thee
of repentance that which betided Aylán Sháh, by reason of the
malice of his Wazirs." Asked Azadbakht, "And what is his story?"
and the youth answered, "Hear, O king,